Hilderic: Difference between revisions
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'''Hilderic''' (460s – 533) was the pentultimate king of the [[Vandals]] and [[Alans]] in [[North Africa during the Classical Period|North Africa in Late Antiquity]] (523–530). Although dead by the time the [[Vandal kingdom]] was overthrown in 534, he nevertheless played a key role in that event. |
'''Hilderic''' (460s – 533) was the pentultimate king of the [[Vandals]] and [[Alans]] in [[North Africa during the Classical Period|North Africa in Late Antiquity]] (523–530). Although dead by the time the [[Vandal kingdom]] was overthrown in 534, he nevertheless played a key role in that event. |
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Hilderic was a grandson of the legendary King [[Geiseric]], who founded the Vandal kingdom in Africa. His father was Geiseric's son [[Huneric]], and his mother was [[Princess Eudocia|Eudocia]], the daughter of the [[Roman Emperors|Roman emperor]] [[Valentinian III]] and [[Licinia Eudoxia]]. Despite his famous bloodline, he was violently unpopular with many of his subjects. Most of the Vandals were [[Arianism|Arians]] and had persecuted Catholics while Hilderic favored the [[Catholicism]] of his mother, making his accession to the throne controversial. Soon after becoming king, Hilderic had his predecessor's widow, [[Amalafrida]], imprisoned; |
Hilderic was a grandson of the legendary King [[Geiseric]], who founded the Vandal kingdom in Africa. His father was Geiseric's son [[Huneric]], and his mother was [[Princess Eudocia|Eudocia]], the daughter of the [[Roman Emperors|Roman emperor]] [[Valentinian III]] and [[Licinia Eudoxia]]. Despite his famous bloodline, he was violently unpopular with many of his subjects. Most of the Vandals were [[Arianism|Arians]] and had persecuted Catholics while Hilderic favored the [[Catholicism]] of his mother, making his accession to the throne controversial. Soon after becoming king, Hilderic had his predecessor's widow, [[Amalafrida]], imprisoned; he escaped a war with her brother, the Gothic king [[Theodoric the Great]], only by the latter's death in 526. |
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Hilderic's reign was noteworthy for the kingdom's excellent relations with the [[Byzantine Empire]], as the emperors [[Justin I]] and [[Justinian I]] approved of his support of Catholicism and his familial ties with the old Roman Empire. He allowed a new Catholic bishop to take office in the Vandal capital of [[Carthage]], and many Vandals began to convert to Catholicism. This alarmed the Vandal nobility. |
Hilderic's reign was noteworthy for the kingdom's excellent relations with the [[Byzantine Empire]], as the emperors [[Justin I]] and [[Justinian I]] approved of his support of Catholicism and his familial ties with the old Roman Empire. He allowed a new Catholic bishop to take office in the Vandal capital of [[Carthage]], and many Vandals began to convert to Catholicism. This alarmed the Vandal nobility. |
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Revision as of 14:52, 2 February 2010
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. (June 2009) |
Hilderic (460s – 533) was the pentultimate king of the Vandals and Alans in North Africa in Late Antiquity (523–530). Although dead by the time the Vandal kingdom was overthrown in 534, he nevertheless played a key role in that event.
Hilderic was a grandson of the legendary King Geiseric, who founded the Vandal kingdom in Africa. His father was Geiseric's son Huneric, and his mother was Eudocia, the daughter of the Roman emperor Valentinian III and Licinia Eudoxia. Despite his famous bloodline, he was violently unpopular with many of his subjects. Most of the Vandals were Arians and had persecuted Catholics while Hilderic favored the Catholicism of his mother, making his accession to the throne controversial. Soon after becoming king, Hilderic had his predecessor's widow, Amalafrida, imprisoned; he escaped a war with her brother, the Gothic king Theodoric the Great, only by the latter's death in 526.
Hilderic's reign was noteworthy for the kingdom's excellent relations with the Byzantine Empire, as the emperors Justin I and Justinian I approved of his support of Catholicism and his familial ties with the old Roman Empire. He allowed a new Catholic bishop to take office in the Vandal capital of Carthage, and many Vandals began to convert to Catholicism. This alarmed the Vandal nobility.
He was quite old by the time he assumed the crown, well into his fifties at least, and probably over 60 years old. For this reason, he was uninterested in the military operations of the Vandals and left them to other family members, yet another thing which was disapproved of.
After seven years on the throne, Hilderic fell victim to a revolt led by his cousin Gelimer, an Arian who got the people to rise in rebellion in the name of religion. Gelimer then became King of the Vandals and Alans and restored Arianism as the official religion of the kingdom. He imprisoned Hilderic but did not kill him.
Justinian, an ally of Hilderic, protested against Gelimer's actions and demanded that Gelimer return the kingdom to Hilderic. When Gelimer refused, he declared war on the Vandals in 533. Gelimer then had Hilderic murdered.
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